Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Anton on March 29, 2024, 12:39
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Help please. I sometimes take my nine-month-old border collie into the garden. I don't use much slug killer but I do use a bit for the more sensitive plants. How can I prevent the puppy eating the stuff? Any ideas please? I've tried all the other options (beer traps, copper, egg shells,...) with little or no success so apart from covering the plants with agricultural fleece or mosquito nets, are there any other ways of keeping the mutt away, apart from tying it up (which I suppose I will have to do once mine and the co-gardeners' plants start growing)?
Anton
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I have two cats and am very conscious about using weed killers, slug pellets etc. I can't get the blue slug pellets any more so have some based on a ferric or ferrous compound which should be safe, but wise to check before getting some.
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Google "snail slug trap". There are commerially made ones, but if you are "crafty" you might be able to devise your own from disposable or inexpensive plastic containers.
The goal is to have a dark interior space that the slugs etc. want to hide in during the daytime. Even better if there is a bait of some sort to attract them inside and kill them (beer, pellets or whatever). A design such that the top is secured or weighed down (bricks etc.) will deter your puppy.
However, like small children, pets should not have free access to places where toxins are used. Consider using wildlife netting to exclude your pup from such areas if keeping an eye on your pet is impractical 100% of the time.
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Non seq, I'm afraid but couldn't help but respond to mention of Border collie. I've been on good terms with about 7 over thr years; 2 of them were mine. Glorious, demanding dogs with a sense of humour. Good luck to you both
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Thanks for all these replies. I see there is a slug killer called "Sluggo" but a different name on Amazon that is pet-friendly.
Hullo Candide. The dog is a mixture of a border collie and an Australian sheperd (so has the brown and colouring colouring of an Australian and the blue eyes). Can't say I was very pleased when the wife turned up with the puppy against my wishes: the destruction of furniture, biting and I've ended doing most of the walks. But now she's nine months, she's turning into quite a delightful companion. I think she would have found life more exciting with younger owners rather than us old fogeys though.
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Sluggo type slug killers are OK for dogs, as long as they don't eat copious quantities of it.